As China's work environment has become increasingly stressful, Ms. Cheng's career ambitions as a designer have undergone a dramatic shift at the beginning of the year.
"I'm suffering from competition and anxiety in the design industry," he said. I work like a machine every day. By the time I got home, I was exhausted, my mind was blank, and I didn't have the time and energy to think or reflect on myself. ”
The 30-year-old said dedicating her entire life to the company was not a fair deal. She noted that she was often asked to work overtime and had to be on call 24/7. The price eventually prompted her to quit her job as a freelancer to explore new options.
"Now, as a freelance designer, I can control my time and the way I work." She said.
Ms. Cheng's case is becoming more common in China, as a segment of the frustrated and discouraged workforce — including recent college graduates — seeks to regain control of their time and freedom without being completely free from society.
Across the ocean, the U.S. job market is being affected by a "great resignation" movement. As the pandemic waned, this shift in employment perceptions led to a new high in the number of resignations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said 4.3 million workers resigned in August, at a rate of 2.9 percent, the highest ever recorded.
In fact, workers around the world are taking a new approach to the post-pandemic work environment, including china's. However, China's shift may be a little deeper. In the past few years, "involution" has begun to spread in China. This refers to how some people cope with what they perceive to be increasingly irrational working conditions that arise as the number of available workers increases, resulting in many people working longer hours and lower wages as resources and quality work remain limited.
Chen Long, a postdoctoral fellow in sociology at Peking University, exposed the problem of "involution" in a panel discussion earlier this summer. The term was originally used to explain a process in which additional inputs did not produce more output.
In the face of intense "involution," he said, many Chinese refuse to be exploited as machine gears for large corporations, such as tech giants. Some even choose to "lie flat" – a popular but controversial phenomenon that refers to people opting out of competition and consumerism and living a life of low desire and low consumption.
The problem has begun to get so serious that the top echelons of government are trying to deal with it.
On Friday, Qiushi published a speech by the leader, saying that "it is necessary to prevent the solidification of social classes, smooth upward mobility channels, create opportunities for more people to get rich, form a development environment in which everyone participates, and avoid 'inner volume' and 'lying flat'." ”
Chen Long hypothesized that when some people find themselves unable to improve the environment, they will tend to withdraw from group competition.
But Instead of going to that extreme, Ms. Cheng and others see freelancing as another path to success and staying passionate about work, with an eye to maintaining a work-life balance rather than withdrawing from the competition altogether.
"Whether you have a job or a freelancing, there's pressure," Ms. Cheng points out, "but now I'm free, I feel fulfilled, and I'm facing challenges — it actually helps me grow into a freelance designer." ”
With a stronger sense of autonomy, China's Gen Z seems interested in trying new things and seeking more fulfilling jobs — jobs that often have more flexible schedules — rather than staying in traditional full-time roles.
Compared to the generation of parents and grandparents who aspire to job security (known as the "iron rice bowl") with a stable income and benefits, the new generation has embraced the notion that they do not need formal jobs or fixed occupations to earn a living.
"I didn't start freelancing for more money," says Freelance journalist Frentee Ji, "I did it to have more free time at my disposal." But when you don't have a steady income for a while, you feel anxious. ”
Tired of the monotonous nine-to-five life, Ji quit his job as a media producer in 2019.
According to a 2020 report by China online recruitment service provider Zhaopin Recruitment, in addition to income, Young Chinese under the age of 30 say their ideal job needs to give them freedom while allowing them to pursue their passions.
In the same report, "independent shopkeepers" and "freelance photographers" ranked the top two most wanted careers among young Chinese, suggesting that they are more inclined to be self-employed while maintaining flexible schedules.
From the average worker craving a more balanced lifestyle, to delivery drivers working around the clock to generate extra income, Chinese increasingly joining the ranks of freelancers has shaken up the job market.
In the past, freelancers mostly concentrated in industries that required expertise, such as writing, photography, art, and accounting. But in recent years, China's rapidly evolving digital environment has spawned a host of new careers, including broadcasters and delivery drivers.
A lot has changed in just a few years. Back in 2016, a report LinkedIn said there were about 30 million freelancers in China. This year, government data showed that nearly a quarter of China's workforce — more than 200 million people — is in "flexible employment," which covers freelancers, other part-time and unpaid positions.
China's $6 trillion digital economy, which basically permeates every industry, also provides a platform for entrepreneurs who choose neither "inner volume" nor "lying flat".
The development of the internet and the digitization of the economy have driven an explosion of new alternative jobs, some of which flourished during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a report by Zhaopin, in February 2020, shortly after the emergence of coronavirus cases, the national job market shrank by about 30%, but the demand for live streamers actually increased by 132.55%.
Wang Yixin, executive director of the Recruitment Public Relations Department, said that the digital sharing economy has changed the old employer-employee contract system, establishing a tripartite relationship involving platforms, service providers and consumers.
"A service that used to be run and provided by one company is now found on every platform, and individuals no longer need to be tied to a company to earn income," he said. Instead, they can monetize more flexibly with each platform. ”
Companies are also increasingly embracing flexible workers. According to a report released earlier this year by Chinese Min University, more than 55 percent of Chinese companies will hire freelancers in 2020.
Wang Yixin said: "For the company, this is a way to reduce costs. During the busy season, companies can bring in workers quickly and easily, and then these flexible workers can move to other industries. This is a win-win for both the company and the workers. ”
As flexible employment is now a powerful component of the country's economic engine, the central government has taken steps to protect the rights of flexible workers and ensure that they receive appropriate benefits such as pensions, health insurance and workers' compensation.
Of course, freelancing also has drawbacks that make many people reluctant to accept it. These workers may find themselves under precarious incomes and pressures. Experts say freelancing can also create a sense of loneliness and loneliness. Many full-time workers still have colleagues to communicate with, even if they are not face-to-face, even if they work from home.
Freelance work is often considered when employees transition from one full-time job to another. Rather than quickly accepting another job that isn't entirely satisfactory, they may choose to do freelancing for a few months or more while slowly finding the right job.
Miranda Wang, a freelance videographer for 2.5 years before finding her current full-time job at a media agency in Shanghai. She said her passion for making documentaries led her to experiment with freelancing. But uncertainty over her income and other factors eventually brought her back to working full-time.
"Sometimes, clients put my money off for six or seven months," she says. While doing freelancing, my social security was also shortened because I didn't pay it myself. I didn't want it to affect my pension, so I thought that if I found an employer, these would be easier. ”
"Also, when I was freelancing, my work cycle was very different from my boyfriend's. I either hang out bored while he's out or nervously rushes to deadlines without any co-workers. Over time, it was not good for my mental health. ”
While many freelancers don't maintain this lifestyle for more than a few months or years, Miranda Wang notes that the new work environment also offers workers more choice and opportunities for diversification.
"In the past, in order to switch careers, workers would have a gap between jobs, whether it was learning new skills or preparing and adjusting for a new industry," she said. But now, that gap can be filled with a variety of freelance jobs. They can gain a variety of experiences by trying new jobs. ”
"If they find something interesting in the process, maybe they'll go in a new direction; anything is possible." It has changed dramatically compared to the days when people only did one thing in one place for a lifetime. ”
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